Gone But Not Forgotten
by Roselie Parry
Summary: The Doctor, Amy & Rory attend the funeral of a close friend from the Time Lords past.


**Authors Note: I **_**know**_** I **_**should**_** be updating my other stories! But I really wanted to add this one which I wrote in one night. Hope everyone likes it.**

**Gone But Not Forgotten**

He'd parked the TARDIS around the corner, well out of earshot of their current destination. It would have been rude to have had the engines interrupting such a peaceful place in a time like this.

The Doctor walked hand in hand with Amy Pond, his current companion, and on his other side was Amy's husband Rory who was walking with his hands in his pockets, gray-green eyes locked on the crushed gravel path now stretched out under their feet.

They'd received the call almost a week ago, though they hadn't actually been there when the call had come in. The three had stood around the console like statues, listening to the teenager on the other end of the line talk, sounding like he was on the verge of tears but was determined not to shed them as he explained what had happened.

It had taken Amy and Rory days of trying and many failed attempts to get The Doctor to agree to go. But finally, after a few choice words and even a couple of empty threats, the Ponds finally won and the time traveler agreed to go, walking around the console to punch in the co-ordinates and date.

Now both humans were dressed in black, Amy in a simple knee-length sun dress and Rory in black dress pants and tie with a white button-up shirt. The Time Lord himself was dressed in his usual attire, dark blue bow-tie and suspenders, light blue shirt covered by a tweed coat with leather patched elbows, brown pants and weathered leather boots.

He couldn't bear the thought of wearing black, if he did it would make what had happened all to real, breaking his current dream-like state, and he didn't think he was capable of facing reality just quite yet, not _this _reality.

Amy gave his hand a comforting squeeze as she felt him tense up slightly when they reached their destination, a small group of people also dressed in dark clothing turning their heads to look at the newcomers as the priest among them stopped speaking.

A teenage girl standing on the other side of the grave pulled away from the people who had to have been her parents the moment she saw them and came racing forward, sandals slapping lightly against the bottoms of her feet as she ran, tears streaking her face.

The Doctor stepped forward when Amy silently let go of his hand, holding his arms out as the girl flung herself into them, arms wrapping around his neck, standing on her tip-toes so she could bury her face in his shoulder.

He stood there, returning the hug until the girl pulled away, giving her a soft, sympathetic smile as she looked at him trying to smile in return, "hello Rani," his voice came out quieter then he had expected it too.

"You're here," Rani replied in a slightly unsteady voice, wiping the tears away from under watery brown eyes.

"I'm here," The Doctor replied keeping his tone gentle as he put his arm around the girls shoulders, feeling the hand that was around his back grasp his coat as he lead her back to the group of people, most of which he didn't even recognize.

Out of the familiar faces he_ did _recognize however, were Mickey and Martha Smith, though, by the way they looked at him, the couple didn't know who he was, they'd never learned about his most recent regeneration.

Amy and Rory had followed silently behind him, giving small, brief smiles when the others the girl had been standing with looked at them.

Rani hugged him one more time before shuffling back over to join her parents, her father putting a supportive arm around his daughters shoulders as she leaned against him still wiping away tears, eyes now on the grave a few feet in front of her.

The trio turned their attention to the dark-skinned teenage boy who had slipped out from under his crying mothers arm to make his way over, "so you did get my call, I wasn't sure if you did."

"I did Clyde, and I appreciate it, there isn't anywhere else in the universe I'd rather be right now," The Doctor replied, putting a hand on the teenagers shoulder and squeezing lightly, an almost awkward moment passing before Clyde stepped forward and hugged the Time Lord, making sure not drag it out like his friend had.

"I'm glad you're here," was all the boy said as he pulled away.

A few other people stepped forward to shake hands or hug before going back to their previous spots, most bowing their heads or looking anywhere but the freshly dug earth in front of them.

Finally the last teenager there came over. His brown hair neatly brushed, and his face clean, his eyes being the only thing that gave away that fact that he probably hadn't slept in days and had been recently crying.

The Doctor stood and let the boy scan him over, looking slightly unsure as he did, his voice cracking slightly as he spoke to the strange man in the bow-tie.

"...Doctor?"

The Time Lord said nothing, simply extended his arms out once more, stepping back slightly from the impact as the boy lunged at him, arms encircling him in a tight-gripped hug which The Doctor returned, one hand placed on the back of the boys head, smoothing down his hair in a soothing gesture, "I'm so sorry Luke."

"I miss her so much," it came out in a sob muffled against The Doctors tweed covered shoulder, "I want her back."

"I miss her too, so much," The Doctor rested his chin the teenagers shoulder briefly before pulling back slightly, one hand on Luke's shoulder, the other on the side of the boys neck, finding it hard to keep his voice steady as he continued, "and I wish more then anything_... _more then _anything,_ that I could have stopped this from happening."

"Can't you just... Go back and stop it? That's what you do. You _save_ people, complete strangers," Luke was crying again, but he didn't seem to notice, "so can't you save her? Save mum... please. Just... go back, and stop it all from happening."

The Doctor swallowed hard, struggling to find the right words, "I _can't _Luke, her death... it's a fixed point, there's nothing I can do. I'm sorry."

"Don't," Luke stepped back angrily, fresh tears running down his face as he swatted the aliens hands away, "you were her _friend_! Her _best _friend. She _loved _you and never, _ever,_ gave up on you_...EVER!_ She would've done anything for you, and you... you won't... you can't just..."

He trailed off, lower lip quivering, hands clenching into fists at his sides gripping the ends of his suite jacket sleeves, "you can't just give up on her..." his voice came out in a raspy whisper.

The Doctor stood there, not knowing what he could possibly say. He wanted to tell Luke okay, he'd go back and save his mother, but he couldn't, it was something he just couldn't do.

Everyone else stood by silently, either staring at them looking silently confused by the boys rant, or at their own feet.

Finally Luke stepped forward again, hugging the Time Lord once more, shoulders shaking as the sobs escaped his body.

Rani had moved again and was now standing next to Amy who had her arm around the younger girls shoulders, rubbing her arm in a comforting motion, their heads resting against each other. The ginger haired woman's hand stretched out to hold her husbands.

When the two broke apart, Luke stayed next to The Doctors side, wiping at his eyes with his free hand, the other still remaining hooked around his mothers oldest friend, gripping his tweed coat like Rani had.

All heads turned when the man dressed in black with the white collar spoke.

"Does anyone have anything they'd like to say?"

Everyone turned to look at the only person in the cemetery not dressed in black, the man in turn looking around at all of them.

"Doctor?" Luke stared at him, obviously agreeing with the silent stares of the others, "would you?"

The Doctor wet his lips, raking his brain, searching for the right words, the _perfect_ words, all while trying to block out the feeling of multiple pairs of both strange and familiar eyes locking on him, and after a long moment of silence, he began, hazel eyes locking on the newly made, polished gravestone that sat at the pastors feet.

"Sarah-Jane was a brilliant person. She was kind, courageous, and giving... Always putting others before herself, even if they didn't deserve it. But she was so, _so _much more then that. She was my friend, my companion, she traveled with me anywhere I could think of for years, it didn't matter where we were going, or what dangers we'd face... I could always count on Sarah-Jane... _My _Sarah-Jane. She always had my back, stuck by me through thick and thin, even after I left her, she let me back into her life without a second thought... And even when I wasn't around she was absolutely _magnificent_, both as a mother and a friend, the secret saver of planet Earth and so many others," He turned his head to look at his companions, then at Luke who smiled slightly as he continued, "and if you ask me, there are worlds out there, in galaxies far beyond the reach of this worlds strongest satellites, that will _forever_ tell stories and sing songs to their children for generations to come about the beautiful Sarah-Jane Smith."

**~DW~DW~DW~DW~DW~DW~DW~DW~DW~DW~DW~DW~DW~DW~DW~DW~**

**I literally came up with this last night while lying in bed after learning about the sudden passing of Elisabeth Sladen on April 19th.**

**And it inspired me to write my first ever single chapter story. Hoping it won't make anyone cry... though I almost did writing it, especially the Luke and Doctor scene.**

**-.-' Sometimes it sucks being as emotional as I am.**

**R.I.P Elisabeth, you will be missed as well as Sarah-Jane.**

**As always, Reviews are much loved :)**


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